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Chicken tikka

My daughter had the third stage of her spelling bee contest today. She lost and didn’t qualify for the finals. She spent the whole way home crying because she did try very hard, she spent so many nights preparing for this and in the end she didn’t win.

How do you explain to a 7 year old that there will be so many times in life when you will do your best and still won’t get what your hoping for? and more importantly, how do you teach them that when that happens it is not the end, the mistake or the failure does not define you. If you lose once you are not a loser. You can learn from your mistakes and try again and even if you fail then, you pick your self up and try again.

Sometimes I watch my kids sleeping and worry about the long road they have ahead of them on their way to becoming mature grown ups. All the lessons they have to learn, the joys, the tears, the friends they will make and the ones they will lose, the hopes and the heartbreaks.Growing up was hard enough the first time around but watching your child go through it reminds me of what a character in my favorite series of novels (the sword of the truth) who keeps saying: “nothing worth while is ever easy”Parenting may not be easy but I know the easy way to introduce a new meat recipe to my family, put it on a stick!The kids are welling to try the new dish no matter how crazy the name or the list of ingredients is. Chicken tikka was no exception to the rule. I had a new naan recipe I wanted to try out and thought the chicken tikka would be a good companion for it . Tikka means pieces or chunks. This chicken recipe calls for marinating the chicken in a yogurt spice marinade that not only tenderizes the chicken but also makes it so flavorful and aromatic.

I served these chicken tikka skewers with triple C raita and naan bread. I have already shared my go to recipe for naan and told you in that post that I had my eye on a naan recipe that is supposed to be as close to the naan you eat in restaurants as you can get in a home made bread. Well today was the day I decided to try it. This naan was definetly more nutty due to the whole wheat flour in it . That being said I am still leaning towards my old recipe, it produces fluffier naans and requires less work.

Before we get to the recipes I would like to announce that the winner of the giveaway by Macy’s.

1. Skin and cube the potato, add a tablespoon of water, cover it and microwave for 4 minutes. Mash it when it’s hot, and measure out 1/2 cup. That’s all we need.

2. Add the water to it. Check to make sure it’s not warmer than 105F (just a touch warmer than your hand) then add the honey and yeast, stir it and keep it aside for five minutes.

3. Meanwhile, assemble the remaining ingredients. Start with 2 cups flour, and add the rest only if you need to.

4. Mix everything together and knead it into a soft, pliable dough. The potato makes it sticky, and you may need more flour. Knead for 5-7 minutes until satiny and elastic.

5. Cover the bowl with oiled plastic wrap and keep it aside in a warm place until it doubles in volume (one to 1.5 hours. you may also keep it in the refrigerator to rise slowly overnight)

6. Turn the dough out on to well-floured surface, punch out the air out gently with your knuckles, and divide the dough into 6 or 8 portions (depending on the diameter of the pan you are going to use for cooking), plus one tiny piece (to be explained soon).

7. Start heating the pan you are going to cook the naans in, using medium heat.
Roll the dough out into thin discs and keep them one by one on a floured baking sheet covered with a damp towel until you’ve rolled them all. Or stretch them by hand into teardrop shapes. They fluff up, so the thinner you can roll/stretch them, the better. Do it gently, ‘cos it is a tender dough that breaks and sticks easily.

8. Take the tiny piece you kept aside, flatten it, and put it on the pan. If it gets charred within a few seconds or the pan smokes a lot, take it off the heat, and let it cool down a tad. If it does not show brown spots in 4 or 5 seconds, your pan’s not hot enough.

9. When you have the pan to the heat level you want (medium), put a disc of dough on it, it will start forming bubbles almost right away. After 2-3 minutes, brush it with ghee/butter, turn it over wait for the bottom to get blistery spots, then turn it over, and brush it again with ghee/butter, take it off after another two minutes, when both sides have some dark brown spots on them, and the bread is cooked through. If the pan is too hot, the naans will brown too quickly without cooking through.
Take it off the fire, and sprinkle with nigella seeds.

Alternately, toast the naan on one side for two to three minutes on medium heat on the stove top until it gets brown spots on one side, turn it over, brush the uncooked side with ghee/butter, put it under the broiler on HIGH, wait for it to get bubbly and get a few dark brown spots. See warning above. Sprinkle with nigella seeds.

10. Wipe the pan clean with a kitchen towel after each naan. Make all the naans this way.

(For garlic flavoured naans, fry some crushed garlic in ghee/butter and use that to brush the naans)

Those chicken tikka look heavenly! I noticed you used tomato paste. I must start adding that to my marinade.

I hope your daughter is feeling better now. The good thing about being a kid is that one often quickly forgets about a failure and easily moves on to the next challenge without renewed spirit. Unlike us adults – when we fail at something, it takes forever to move on.

I do Nadia, tomato sauce adds so much to sauces and marinades, I even add it to bechamel sauce sometimes
I agree with you ..kids forget quickly but I think experiences like this one shape their characters and the kind of adults they turn out to be. That is why as a parent you need to guide them through the failures and successes hoping they will turn out into mature and balanced people

Putting anything on a stick is a sure fire way that the kids will try it! Some days I use toothpicks in Miss A’s lunch and tell her it’s a “sample plate” like at the grocery store. She’s much more likely to eat lunch that way.

I’m sorry to hear about your daughter’s spelling loss. It’s so hard to watch them work so hard at something and then end up so heartbroken. I too have all the same worries with my kids. It’s not easy watching them go through the hard stuff and knowing there’s more to come. I just keep loving them and trying to give them the tools for self-confidence. Then hoping it will be enough.

Aaah – tough lessons to learn when you´re 7 years old 😦 but it sounds like you have it all under control. Lucky Celi on winning! And another winning recipe. I love chicken tikka but haven´t made it for ages. And naan bread too – it all looks so good!

Thank you so much Sawson for bringing that great give away to us, and I LOVE Chicken Tikka, so when my new pans come I shall put them straight to use making this favourite of ours, i also want to try your naan bread and I think I might go to your regular recipe, easiest is always bestest for me!! Tell your daughter, the only losers are the ones who do not compete. Just standing up and trying is her first WIN! c

I am hoping that your daughter is on the rebound soon and with meat on a stick is a sure fix for the blues. I love garam marsala and your dried version of this dish is something that most kids would enjoy.

I must be living under a rock… I hope this question doesn’t draw too much attention, but Sawsan, what is green yoghurt?!
These look so damn tasty I want to make them SOON but I don’t know what green yoghurt is, and where to get it from!

I want to be at your table on a bad day. I would eat that whole plate in minutes, happy as a lark. I really would love to try your favorite Naan recipe. I love Naan but have not tried to make it myself. So true about watching your children grow up, wanting to protect them from all hurts but knowing they must go through it as part of the process. It is such a tough thing to teach them that we don’t always succeed or win but that we must keep trying anyway and be proud of how far we’ve gotten in the process.

You are most welcome to stop by for lunch or dinner any day,good or bad.
Naan is really easy to make and it is a great companion to a lot of meals.
As for Jana, I remember what you wrote about loving them unconditionally and being there with love and guidance and hoping that will be enough

Aw, I remember how it felt to not succeed at something when I was young…thought the world had ended. I hope your daughter feels better soon! If anything, this chicken dish must have cheered her up. Sounds fabulous. x

Hello Sawsan Chef In Disguise,
Interesting Thoughts, Long term weight loss isn’t about hunger, misery and crash dieting. It’s a whole new way of learning to prepare nutritious food that your body needs and enjoys. “Chicken Tikka” is one of a range of hunger fighting, low fat recipes to assist you keep your weight under control. This irresistible, no-hassle meal will help you reach your weight-loss goals – while making mealtime a real treat.
Cheers
Christine